Many people enjoy the thrill and excitement of amateur and professional racing. The speed of the racers and skill of the drivers is something special to behold. Racing is typically conducted on an oval track. The racers proceed in a counterclockwise rotation around the track, which may be ¼ mile to ½ mile or longer in length. Racing is a highly competitive sport. By its very nature, the speed of the racers far exceeds normal public driving habits. The drivers will do whatever they can, within the rules, to gain an advantage over their competitors. The competitive nature of the sport necessarily involves driving in close proximity, and passing with minimal clearance, with respect to other racers, at speeds commonly exceeding 100 miles per hour (MPH). In some racing venues, the speeds can exceed 200 MPH. Given the small area of the race track, drivers are often driving at high speed within feet or inches of other racers or the protective wall between the track and the spectators. Physical contact with other racers or the protective wall is at times unavoidable and an inherent part of the sport. The collision may involve a bump between door panels of side by side racers, or a front fender to rear quarter panel clip. The racer may suffer a glancing blow to the protective wall while rounding a turn. In any case, the impact is likely to cause damage to the body of the race vehicle.
The race vehicle comes in a variety of designs and structures. In dirt track racing, the engine, drive train, and driver compartment are contained within or mounted to a chassis or frame assembly. A sheet metal body is formed with a series of panels which are mounted to the frame assembly. Each body panel is connected to the frame assembly with a number of rods or struts. The body panels having a thickness of about 0.032 inches are typically made of aluminum, which is known for its light weight properties and relative low cost.
In the event that the dirt track racer comes in physical contact with another vehicle or other structure during the race, the aluminum body panels will bend or buckle upon impact. The deformations in the metal body panels remain after the collision. Depending on the severity of the collision and its effect on the performance of the racer, the driver may need to make a pit stop to bend the panel back to a functional position or remove the damaged panel completely in order to finish the race. There is very little time in the pit during the race to make adjustments to the damaged area.
Finishing the race with a damaged or missing body panel is a disadvantage for the race team. The damaged or missing body panel can effect the aerodynamic performance of the racer. With the neutralizing rules on racer configuration, such disadvantages can make the difference in the racer's finishing position. Moreover, the damaged panel is less likely to effectively absorb another impact which reduces the protection for the chassis and safety factor to the driver. Finally, racers rely to a significant degree on sponsorships for their financial viability. The racer body is a prime medium for advertisers. A damaged or missing panel interferes with the view of sponsorship logos and advertisements. Sponsors have been known to reduce payments or pull their endorsements entirely for poor presentation, i.e., failure to maintain the racer body in presentable condition to clearly display the sponsor's message in a visually appealing manner.
After the race, the crew must remove the effected body panels and bang out the dents or replace the damaged areas completely. Even when time permits to attempt to reform the body panels, the crew is rarely if ever successful in retuning the damaged body panel to its original form and shape. A metal surface that has been deformed never returns to its original form, at least not without using sophisticated metallurgy tools and processes, which are usually not available on the racing scene. Some evidence of the deformed metal remains. More than likely, the collision also damages the panel support rods to the frame assembly which must also be repaired or replaced. The time and materials used to repair the racer body panels is costly to the race team.
A need exists for body panels on vehicles which are subject to high probability of collisions that do not sustain permanent damage or deformation during impact.